Review of Martin (1978) by Shane V — 25 Feb 2010

Martin is a young man with a strange fascination for human blood. Believing himself to be a vampire, he kills people for sustenance before having his way with them and moving on, letting them die in their sleep. He moves in with his elder cousin, who also believes him to be nosferatu and is convinced of saving his soul before killing him.

There really isn't much of a plot to this one, despite its length. But what it lacks in plot, it makes up for in character work and acting. John Amplas gives a simple yet engaging performance as Martin, letting us into his mind via phone calls to the local radio station. His young cousin Christina is played quite well as a free and expressive teenager against the reserved Martin. It's a bit difficult to be on Martin's side throughout most of the movie until we get a real look inside his mind, which provides much of the depth and underlying themes of the film. The violence is pretty light for this day and age, but it's certainly still considered a horror film. I don't really know how else to put this other than "Martin" did for male vampires what "Ginger Snaps" did for female werewolves, but with more thought and care put into this surprisingly good sub-theme. A young man's violent and sexual tendencies equated with a vampire's lust for blood. But of course, in the end, it never really clarifies the point in the same way "Taxi Driver" did. Everyone has their own opinion. But on the negatives, this is a very slow-moving flick lacking a bit in excitement, and feels very dated. But it's definitely a grade above your basic gory horror movie. So I'll just go ahead and give "Martin" 6.5 hypodermic needles out of 10.